Published Resources Details
Journal Article
- Title
- The Role of Steam Power in the Victorian Hardwood Sawmilling Industry
- In
- Australian Journal of Multi-disciplinary Engineering
- Imprint
- vol. 6, no. 1, 2008, pp. 53-66
- Url
- https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.167112840237827
- Description
Paper presented at the National Engineering Heritage Conference (14th: 2007 : Perth).
- Abstract
Steam-powered sawmilling was first introduced in Victoria in 1841, just six years after European settlement, but it was not till after the goldrushes of the 1850s that sawmillers began tapping into the extensive eucalypt forests of the central highlands. By the late 1860s, steam sawmilling was one of Victoria's largest secondary industries, and a major contributor to economic development and employment. It was to remain one of the state's most significant rural industries over the following century and a key user of steam power. Outside the electric power generation industry, it would be the last major user of steam power during the decades after the Second World War. This paper examines the role of steam power in the Victorian hardwood sawmilling industry from the 1850s to the 1950s, providing an overview of the development of the industry, types of equipment employed, the functions to which it was applied, and the impact of factors such as changing boiler and steam engine technology, boiler safety legislation, new processing requirements, and the changing geographic location of sawmills.
Related Published resources
isPartOf
- '14th National Engineering Heritage Conference - Selected Papers (2007 : Perth)', Australian Journal of Multi-disciplinary Engineering, 6 (1) (2008), 128, https://search.informit.org/toc/ajmde/6/1. Details